Underfell Terrors
by Blake Aster
Summary: Sans had no idea what he was doing. He knew this wasn't going to work. He was too broken for this. But she believed in him, for a reason he could not comprehend. So for her sake, he would try. Even if he knew it was doomed to fail. After all, since when did anything good happen to him? Sequel to Underfell Angel
1. Chapter 1

Everything changed.

It's amazing how one person can change an entire species. She insisted that monsters were always kind at heart. They just needed to be reminded of that. Maybe she was right. Sans doubted it. They weren't perfect, of course. They had spent too long watching their backs for them to completely change. But things were better. It was no longer kill or be killed. Hell, they had laws against killing now. Everyone was more relaxed. Relaxed enough to make friends even.

Especially with Frisk.

There wasn't a monster in the Underground who didn't adore her. Well, there was one. Sans didn't even remember his name anymore. Needless to say, that hadn't gone over well. He'd ended up nearly beaten to death in the junkyard. Frisk was furious, of course. For someone who didn't talk, she sure knew how to make everyone feel guilty. She had ignored everyone for days. All in all though, things were starting to look up. Sure, they were still trapped, but everyone was so much happier. It was enough to make Sans nauseous.

He didn't mind it though. He got to spend everyday by her side, so what reason did he have to complain. She didn't seem to mind. In fact, he would almost dare to believe she even liked having her by his side. At first he thought he was crazy, but he started to think that the relationship he had with her was… special. He didn't want to believe it at first. Didn't want to get his hopes up. It took a bit for him to realize that he wasn't crazy.

First off, he realized that he was the only person in the Underground who had heard her speak. The first to ever know her name. Then Sans noticed that she always seemed to seek him out. Sans couldn't remember the last time he had gone a day without seeing her at least once. Then there were the times she would go out of her way to stand or sit next to him.

He wasn't entirely certain, however, until the wedding.

It was a rather informal affair. There was only a handful of monsters there. Most everyone had dressed up too, except for Sans of course. Papyrus was still wearing his usual outfit of course, but he had cleaned it before hand. Sans couldn't be bothered. No one seemed to mind. No one expected Sans to go out of his way for anything.

Frisk, on the other hand, was drop dead gorgeous. She was wearing a simple, black dress. It was modest, with a high neck, no sleeves, and a mermaid style skirt. On the front of her dress was the delta rune in red. Sans may or may not have gone completely brain dead the moment he saw her. He could hardly take his eyes off her during the entire ceremony, or during the party afterward.

"...YOU ARE DROOLING, BROTHER," Papyrus said.

Sans jumped. A hand went to his face, until he realized he didn't drool.

"Never knew you had a sense of humor, boss," Sans said dryly.

Papyrus rolled his eyes.

"YOU ARE SO OBVIOUS, IT'S PATHETIC," Papyrus said.

"... You still joking, right?"

"BROTHER, WHATEVER SENSE OF HUMOR I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE, I AM NOT AT ALL JOKING ABOUT THIS," Papyrus said. "NOR WOULD I EVER."

Before Sans could say anything else, Frisk came up to him. She had been dancing with Asgore until then. Papyrus slipped away, leaving Sans shaken and alone. Frisk gave him that smile before leaning against the wall with him.

"Havin' fun?" Sans asked.

Frisk nodded.

"Lot of dancin' you've been doin'. You keep that up, ya gonna dance your feet down to the bone," Sans said. God, did he just say that? That was horrible. But she giggled anyway. They spent the rest of the night like that. He'd say something dumb or occasionally funny and she'd smile and laugh. Eventually they fell into a comfortable silence. They just stood there with their shoulders almost touching, simply enjoying each other's company.

"Frisk, it's time to go home, my child," Toriel finally called. Frisk nodded and Toriel left the room. No doubt she was waiting for her outside. They were the only two left, he realized. Frisk stepped away from the wall and turned to face him.

"Well, good night kiddo. It's been fun-"

The kiss caught him off guard. It was a gentle, chaste press of her lips against his mouth. For the first time, sans wished he had lips like hers so that he could return the gesture. She pulled away, her face red. She turned quickly and walked swiftly for the door. She stopped at the door and turned to him again. Her face was still beat red, but she gave him a small, shy smile before following after Toriel.

Well, maybe he wasn't as crazy as he thought.

He had really hoped he was.


	2. Chapter 2

For the first time in a very long time, Sans was genuinely scared.

Okay, so maybe scared was too mild a term for what Sans was feeling. Terrified. That was closer to what he was feeling. He was absolutely and totally terrified. He felt like he was about to be attacked at any moment, and he didn't know where it was coming from. Except he did know.

It was Frisk.

She had… kissed him.

Oh god, she had actually kissed him! He didn't even know what to deal with that. He didn't even know how to _feel_ about it! For everything Gaster had done to him, not once had he kissed him. He was just a test subject to him, after all. Just a thing. A sex toy. A brood mare. It had been his first kiss.

God, he sounded like one of those girls in the cartoons that Alphys denied she liked.

It wasn't just his first romantic kiss either. No one had kissed him before. Not even platonically. He never had a mother to kiss him goodnight. Papyrus was more likely to beat his skull in.

Papyrus…

Sans couldn't help but let his mind wonder to his brother. The change in his brother had been… disconcerting to say the least. It's not like he pulled a complete one eighty. He was still rough and angry most of the time. He was still more likely to shoot first and ask questions later. But he hadn't actually dusted anyone since… well since Frisk came. He hadn't laid a hand on Sans either. He still insulted him and berated him for being lazy or for his puns, but his words had lost their edge. They were by no means best friends, but their relationship had become… tolerable.

All thanks to her.

Oh god. Her.

What the hell was he going to do? He had no clue. For the time being, he just did his best to avoid her. He didn't want to. He wanted to be with her every second of every day. Who could blame him? She was so kind, despite what the monsters had done to her. She had died so many times- too many times- by their hands, yet she never held it against them. She was the only one who ever laughed at his puns and his lame jokes. Who wouldn't fall in love with her?  
Dear god, he was in love with her.

And now he was even more terrified.

He was so distracted by his own thoughts that he didn't even notice another presence until he felt the gentle tug on his sleeve. He started and looked beside him to find the one person he didn't want (except he did, more than anything he wanted) to see.

Frisk looked up at him with those soft eyes and his soul felt like it was going to melt. She was so beautiful. The words always entered his head every time he saw her. Yet, he realized, she was also nervous. She had let go of his sleeve when she had felt him start. She bit her lip and looked away nervously before raising her eyes to look at him again.

"I… I know… you've been avoiding me."

Sans hadn't heard her speak since their face off at the barrier, yet it was just as soft and gentle as he remembered.

"That's…"

"Are you upset? That I kissed you?" she asked.

"No. I mean yes. I mean… I don't know," Sans sighed in frustration and shook his head. "Frisk… I… this can't happen."

He wanted to take the words back the moment he said them, but he knew he couldn't. It had to be said.

"Frisk I'm… This won't work. The things that i've been through," Sans hesitated, and for a moment, he wanted to tell her everything. "I'm broken."

Frisk was silent for a moment.

"Do you want to?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Sans froze.

"If you don't, just say so. Look me in the eye and tell me now."

He really should. He was going to hurt her in the long run. But he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. He couldn't lie to her. Instead he looked at his shoes.

"Do you remember what I said at the barrier?" Frisk asked. "Do you remember why I came to the underground?"

"You were looking to something," Sans said. She nodded. "You never said what it was."

Frisk took a deep breath before reached for the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head. Sans' face flushed red. She was wearing a white shirt like the first time he had seen her without the sweater and just like before, he could see the upside down heart over where he human heart should be.

"Do you know what his is?" she asked.

"It looks like a tattoo of a monster's soul," Sans said.

"It's not though. I was born with it. It happens sometimes. It's rare though. The first human Chara had one as well," Frisk said. "It's a soul mark. Humans get them when they have a soul mate. Only about one in a billion are soul mated to a monster though."

Frisk's face darkened.

"Even less survive long enough to find their mates."

Sans didn't like the sound of that.

"So you came to find your soulmate," Sans said. It wasn't a question.

She nodded.

"And you know who it is?"

She nodded again.

"I used to get these visions," Frisk said. "I saw them every time I looked into a mirror. I would see this… monster. I thought I had gone crazy at first, until I found out what it was."

Suddenly, her story was sounding eerily familiar.

"It was my soulmate."

Sans looked away again. He knew where this was going.

"My soulmate should have had similar visions," Frisk said hopefully.

"I don't have a mark," Sans whispered.

"Monsters never do," Frisk said.

"How do you know that?"

"She told me. Chara," Frisk said. "She's still around, you know. Her determination was so strong, she could talk to me and only me. She told me everything. About soulmates. About monsters. About her soulmate, Asriel."

Sans' head was spinning. Everything she said was possible. He knew that. And he knew she would never lie to him. Everything she said lined up. But…

"I know you're scared," Frisk said.

"And are you?" Sans asked. "You've seen what I'm capable of. What I'm willing to do."

 _You've seen me kill._

"No," she said. There was so much certainty behind her voice that he couldn't help but believe her. "I know you would never hurt me."

"I may not want to, but I still could," Sans said.

"You know the funny thing about soul mates? They are always perfect for each other. They are always exactly what the other needs," Frisk said. "I want this. I want _you._ And not just because of this mark either. At first, that may have been the case, but now… I love you, Sans. I love your puns and silly jokes. I love how you've always been there for me, even if you try your hardest not to be obvious about it. I love how hard you try to hide how smart or how strong you are."

Sans didn't even realize he was crying until he felt her hand on his cheek and her thumb wiping the tears away.

"Please. Trust me," Frisk pleaded.

Who was he to deny her?


	3. Chapter 3

Papyrus, for the first time in his life, didn't know what to do.

He stood there, staring at the scene before him. He had been on his way to Undyne's house when he found them. His first instinct was to approach them, but something made him pause. There was something about the way they were looking at each other and how close they were standing that made him hesitate. Sans seemed nervous. His right hand kept tugging at the bottom of his jacket. His left…

His left hand was intertwined with Frisk's.

Papyrus' mind went blank for a moment. What exactly was he seeing? He heard another voice that he didn't recognize. He couldn't make out what the voice was saying, but he was definitely hearing it. Then he realized where it was coming front.

It was her.

He could see her lips moving as she said something to Sans that made his shoulders shake with quiet laughter. Papyrus was suddenly furious. She could speak the entire time? She was deceiving them! Was everything up to now a lie? Was she just manipulating him- all of them?

Than she leaned over and kissed him. Papyrus' rage flamed even stronger. Not only had this bitch deceived them, but now she was conspiring to take his brother away from him? Papyrus was not going to tolerate this anymore! He took a step forward, ready to teach the human a lesson she would not soon forget, when he saw something that made him freeze in his tracks. It was something he had never seen before. In fact, for a moment Papyrus was unsure he was seeing it in the first place.

Sans was… smiling.

Sans was always smiling, but this wasn't his usual, forced, almost deranged smile. It was a real smile, together with a red blush on his face and a soft look in his eyes that made Papyrus' soul ache.

Papyrus, for the first time in his life, didn't know what to do.

Xxx

He was there at the Waterfall long after Sans and Frisk had left. There was an internal war raging within him that seemed to show no sign of ending. His rage and possessive nature was clashing with his feeling for who he still thought to be his very first friend and the idea that maybe for the first time his older brother might actually be… happy.

Just a few months ago, this wouldn't have been a problem. A few months ago, he would have killed her and beat his brother back into submission. He wished he still had the heart to do just that. He chuckled. That human had done quite a number on him, hadn't she? It wasn't like he saw anything wrong with the way things had been. Sans was his after all. He could do whatever he wanted to him.

But was he truly his?

"Oh my, what do we have here?"

Papyrus looked up and scowled. Mettaton raised an eyebrow at his reaction. He crossed his four arms before him. He had meant it to make himself look confident, and it worked. No one would have guessed it was in reality the defensive posture of a monster who was used to expecting pain.

"What is the commander of the Royal Guard doing out here all by himself? If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was moping," Mettaton said.

Papyrus glared at him. Mettaton merely huffed.

"Well, if he was moping about something, I would invite him over to my place for a drink. I may even be willing to listen to his woes," Mettaton said. He turned and walked away. Papyrus stared at him as he walked away. Unwittingly, Papyrus found himself following him.


	4. Chapter 4

Sans was worried.

Papyrus was avoiding him, and Sans suspected he knew why. What he didn't understand was why his brother hadn't come after him yet. He was sure the moment that his brother discovered that he and Frisk were together, he would beat the living daylights out of him. Or at least yelled at him. But this… this was almost worse.

He hadn't said a word in almost a week. Sans knew the moment he had found out. He could see it in the way he looked at both him and Frisk. Like he wanted to rip both of them to shreds. Yet he held back. He hadn't touched either of them. In fact, most days he was nowhere to be found.

Everyone knew now. They had been quiet about their relationship do to fears Sans had about his brother and Frisk was understanding. But now everyone knew. Alphys and Undyne didn't care. Their business was their business in their minds. Toriel disapproved of him and made sure to remind Sans at every possible moment. Flowey seemed to have become even more protective of Frisk and refused to give them even a single moment alone. Asgore was supportive. He even encouraged them.

"You two being together shows that humans and monsters can live peacefully. It is my belief that you two can bring hope to all monsters."

Talk about pressure.

"Everything alright, Sans?"

Sans looked down at Frisk. She had her head rested against his shoulder. They were sitting on the couch watching some human movie that had fallen down. Frisk had been so excited when she found it, she had insisted they watch it right away. It was some movie about a human family that could use magic. Well, Frisk insisted it wasn't magic. It was funny though, Sans had to admit. Flowey was glaring at them from the far end of the of the couch.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," Sans said softly. In reality, he kept expecting Papyrus to walk through the door any second. In reality, he knew that Papyrus would probably be spending the night wherever it was he kept running off to recently, but it didn't keep him front eyeing the door warily.

Frisk looked like she was about to say something else, but stopped. Her eyes widened and she sat up straight. She stared into the distance with a look of confusion on her face.

"Frisk? What's wrong?" She didn't respond. "Sweetheart?"

"It's in the ruins," Flowey said softly. "Golly, I've never felt so much determination in one person before…"

"Flowey, what is going on?" Sans demanded.

"It's a human. A human has fallen."

Xxx

Sans ended up using one of his shortcuts into the Ruins. Sans felt a sickening sense of dread that only seemed to get worse as Frisk led them through the Ruins to the place where they had fallen. All the monsters there greeted her as they walked pass, then shrank away when they saw Sans.

Eventually, they reached the end of the Ruins where the golden flowers grew. The light from above shown down on the bed of flowers like a spotlight. It was beautiful. It was fitting that his angel had entered the Underground through such a place. Someone was there, on the flowers. They lay motionlessly on the flowers. Frisk ran forward, ignoring Sans' startled protest.

"You don't know this human!" Sans called as he followed after her. "They could be dangerous!"

Frisk didn't respond. She rolled the human onto their back. It was a young man, he realized, and seemed to be around Frisk's age. He was handsome too, Sans had to admit begrudgingly. He could almost pass as one of those bishounen in Alphys' anime she watched for 'research.' He had ruffled blonde hair, pale skin, and long eyelashes. God, even the guy's _lips_ were perfect. He was no scrawny boy, either. He was slim, but Sans could easily see the wiry muscles where his clothes exposed them.

Sans, on the other hand, didn't even have lips.

God, were all the humans as beautiful as Frisk and this guy? He never had the chance to meet any of the other humans and now he wondered if they were as attractive as the two before him. Sans stood just outside the edge of the light, not daring to step in. He felt very much like he didn't belong anywhere near these two.

The fallen human growned. He blinked a couple of times and squinted against the light. He looked dazed as his eyes wondered before falling on Frisk.

"Well," he said with a shaky voice. "If you are here to guide me to afterlife, I ain't gonna complain."

Sans rolled his eyes and to his displeasure, Frisk giggled. She shook her head.

"Than you aren't an angel? That's hard to believe," he said jokingly. He sat up and began to look around. "Where am I? I was on the mountain and I fell…"

His eyes widened when he spotted Sans. Sans gave him the creepiest smile he could manage, and even allowed his eye to flare up. The young man jumped to feet. He swayed a little, no doubt from standing so quickly, and grabbed Frisk's wrist. He pulled her behind him. Sans couldn't help but chuckle.

"S-stay away, monster!"

Sans couldn't help but laugh out loud now. This idiot thought he could protect Frisk front him? Even if he wanted to hurt her- which he never had and would die before he ever would- he wouldn't stand a chance! Frisk tugged on the human's shirt, trying to draw his attention. When she tried to pull away, he just held onto her even tighter. Okay, enough was enough.

"I ain't gonna hurt either of ya' so if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to unhand _my_ girl," Sans said. His tone was light, but there was no mistaking the edge to his voice.

"Your what?"

"My girl. My girlfriend. My significant other. The one with whom I have a romantic relationship. Let her go. Please. She doesn't like being manhandled," Sans said. It was taking every ounce of his willpower not to teleport right behind him and beat him senseless, but Frisk wouldn't like that. Once again, however, he was reminded of how unworthy he was of her. The human looked every bit the hero, while Sans the villain. Here he was, calling her his, when he did not even deserve to breath the same air as her.

"I'm sure if she had a problem, she would say so herself. She doesn't need some freak speaking for her," the human said.

For the first time since the entire altercation started, Flowey spoke up, well, more like laughed up.

"Very funny, weed," Sans growled.

"Sure is, trashbag!" Flowey replied.

The human let out a very unmanly squeak and jumped back. Flowey had decided not to accompany the two of them to the Ruins. He wasn't so fond of Sans' shortcuts. Sans' wouldn't doubt that he had been there the whole time, just watching.

"Howdy, I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower," he introduced himself.

"I- wha- you-"

"Now, if you wouldn't mind letting my friend go, what that smiley trashbag said about her not liking to be manhandled is true," he said.

"Your wha- oh."

He finally let go of Frisk. She gave him a grateful smile and rubbed her hand painfully.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Frisk shook her head.

"This is Frisk. She doesn't talk, by the way," Flowey said. "And the creep hiding in the shadows is Sans, and yes he is her _boyfriend,_ though I don't have the slightest clue what she sees in him."

The human looked over to the skeleton doubtfully.

"Anyways, Welcome to the Underground," Flowey said with a hint of sarcasm. "I hope you enjoy your miserable life down here, because you are never getting out."

"What? What do you mean, 'never getting out'?"

"There's a magical barrier that keeps everyone trapped down here," Flowey said. "There's no way out. Luckily for you, things have changed around here. It used to be a death sentence for a human to fall down here. Now, well, you'll still want to watch your back, but you might be able to survive so long as you play nice."

"That's not very comforting."

Sans didn't even notice Frisk had moved until she felt a hand squeeze his arm. He looked over to see her smile. He gave her a genuine smile back and squeezed her hand in return. He felt a pair of cold eyes on him and looked back to the flower bed. The human was staring at them. There was an icy look in his eyes that made him want to take Frisk and run. Before anyone else could notice, the look was gone and he was smiling apologetically.

"Ah, sorry about before. You startled me quite a bit, as I'm sure you can imagine," he said.

"Sure," Sans replied

"So what's your name, human?" Flowey asked.

"Calvin, but everyone usually just calls me Cal."


	5. Chapter 5

"Everyone, this is Cal."

"Uh… hey?"

Cal groaned internally at the sound of his own voice. Cal was usually very confident but here before the strange assortment of creatures before him his confidence was starting to fail him. Who could blame him? There was a freaking walking fish for christ's sake! And they weren't the friendliest sort either. The lizard thing was creeping him out with the way she kept observing him like some new specimen for an experiment. The taller skeleton, whom Cal learned was San's brother, was probably the most menacing. Sure, the King of Monsters was pretty scary, with the scars and horns and all. He was actually a nice guy though, under all that gruff.

The robot was confusing. He was a goddamn robot. That was fucking awesome. It was also kinda creepy. Cal was very uncomfortable with the way he spoke and the way he kept touching him. It wasn't just him, at least. He was like that with everybody in the room, even Asgore. He didn't go anywhere near the lizard thing though. He was especially touchy with the tall skeleton, he noticed. The tall skeleton just blushed in response, which resulted in the dropping of a few drinks and a shocked hush.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?" Papyrus snapped.

"Bro," Sans seemed the most surprised of the lot. Frisk giggled.

"Oh, he hadn't told you?" Mettaton gave them a happy, almost glowing smile. "We've been… seeing a lot of each other lately, if you get what I mean…"

Papyrus just blushed even harder and it looked like he was trying to hide in his scarf. Frisk clapped with an excited smile. Cal couldn't help but staring at her, before his attention was drawn away by the goat lady who seemed nice enough, if a little unstable. After about an hour, Cal found that he had managed to win over every monster in the room. They were honest, even sharing their darkest of thoughts. It was a bit disconcerting. He was finally getting the ghost- Napsalot?- when he realized he couldn't see Frisk anymore.

He looked around. Where could she have gone?

"Hey, did you see where Frisk went to?" he asked Alphys.

"I did not," Alphys said.

"What, you head over heels already?" Undyne asked.

"Sorry, no offense, but I'm a little new to the whole monster thing," Cal said.

"And having another human around must be comforting," Toriel supplied.

"A little," Cal said, adding a nervous laugh.

"She's with the skelepun," Undyne said.

"The who?"

"The skelepun. The smiling trashbag. The one who is always within arms reach of Frisk," Flowey said.

"Oh. Right. Sans was his name?" Cal asked. "You said they were… together right?"

"For a little while now, yeah. Not entirely sure how long before they bothered letting anyone know though," Undyne said a little bitterly. He noticed a dark shadow cross over Papyrus' face.

"They don't seem like a couple who would… match," Cal said.

"I think they are cute," Alphys mumbled. Than she realized what she said and turned beat red. "I-I MEAN they are a- I mean- I saw it coming! I mean, when one of them wasn't following the other around, the other was following the other, that is- I mean- I'm confused- I-"

"They are soul mates," Flowey's voice rose above the others. The entire turned to him. "The universe saw that they would be happiest together and connected their souls so they would always find each other. They were destined to be together."

Everyone fell silent.

"That seems a little unfair," Cal said. "I mean, they don't even get a choice?"

"They could, if they wanted to," Flowey said. "But they won't want to. The universe does not choose a couple who cannot love each other. Soul mates are those who can only find happiness with one person. Their personalities and their feelings are their own. The bond only ensures that they find each other."

"You sure know a lot about this," Asgore said suspiciously.

Flowey smiled sadly.

"I do," he said softly. He did not say more.

Papyrus walked out of the room suddenly. He slammed the door behind him. Mettaton followed after him, calling his name.

"... what's his deal?" Cal asked.

Everyone shrugged.

Xxx

Cal waited for the conversations to resume before slipping away. He needed to find Frisk. He didn't find them in any of the small rooms of the Skeleton Brothers' house. He went outside, but saw no sight of them. There was no one out in the streets that night. He cursed softly. Where could they be?

He heard a soft sound. It was a laugh, one he recognized. He looked around trying to pinpoint it until he realized it was coming from He backed away from the house to get a better look at the roof. There they were. Frisk was curled up in Sans' lap with Sans' jacket wrapped around them both. She had her head rested under his chin and looked as though she were about to fall asleep.

Cal's blood boiled.

 _How dare this freak touch what was his?_

Cal quietly walked away. He couldn't afford to do anything now. He knew the skeleton already suspected him. Plus, if he tried anything and was killed, Frisk would know if he reset and he would never get another opportunity like this. No, he needed to stick with the plan. He followed the path out of town and deep into the woods of Snowdin. This was the contact point. He wondered how these plants survived without sunlight. Was it monster magic?

A strange voice drew his attention. He wasn't alone.

"You're late," Cal said.

...

"Whatever."

…

"Yeah, I saw them. They're disgusting."

…

"I don't care. Just so long as you keep your end of the deal."

…

"Oh trust me, once we finish 'rehabilitating' her, she won't want to look at another monster again."


	6. Chapter 6

Papyrus didn't know where he was young, but he knew he had to get away. It was too much information to process. Papyrus felt add though his entire view of the world had been shaken like a snow globe and he had no idea what he was supposed to think now.

 _The universe saw that they would be happiest together and connected their souls so they would always find each other._

 _The universe does not choose a couple who cannot love each other. Soul mates are those who can only find happiness with one person._

 _They were destined to be together._

"Love, what's-"

Papyrus lashed out without even thinking. It was instinctual. There was a sharp gasp of pain as his fist hit metal. Papyrus' eyes widened when he realized what he had done. Mettaton stared at him with wide, shocked eyes and hand raised to the dent on his cheek.

"I… I'M…" Papyrus didn't even know what to say. He reached out to Mettaton to… do something. He wasn't even sure. Mattaton flinched away from his hand. Papyrus watched as Mettaton crumbled before him, all of his confidence and grace reduced to nothing.

"I'm sorry… please don't h-hurt me… please… I-I won't do it again!"

Papyrus stared at him. All it took was one hit to turn this monster that Papyrus had grown so attached to in such a short period of time to this. All those years as Alphys' virtual slave, forced to do whatever the twisted royal scientist wished under threat of torture. For a moment, his anger flared against the yellow lizard, until a thought turned his soul cold.

 _He was no better than her._

How many years had Papyrus himself beaten his brother into submission? Was Sans really as accepting of his beating as he pretended, or was he suppressing the same reaction every time Papyrus so much as raised his hand? Was Sans as fearful as him as Mettaton was of his own abuser?

How had Papyrus not realized how terrible the things he had done were until now? He had always viewed Sans as his. His brother. His toy. His possession. But was so much more than that, just as Mettaton was so much more than a weapon. He was as smart as Alphys, though his lazy nature hid it. He had only 1 HP and had almost no defense and attack, but he made up for his lack of strength with skill and talent that Papyrus could never hope to match. He could be so much more than he is. But he wasn't.

And it was all Papyrus' fault.

"...yrus?"

Papyrus didn't even realize he was hyperventilating. That was ridiculous. He didn't even have lungs. It felt like the ground was tilting. Faces filled his mind's eye. 15. He had 15 LV. He hadn't thought about them in so long, but now he found he could remember the faces of every monster whose life he had ended. Panicked sounds began to escape his mouth that eventually evolved to screams of horror.

"Papyrus, love, stay with me!" Mettaton's frightened voice managed to cut through the many voices of those he had slain. Their cries of anguish. The cries of their children and the cries of their parents. A single word fell from his mouth. A single word that was as foreign to him as the sunlight.

"SORRY. SORRY. SORRY. SORRY. SORRY…"

XXX

The dark figure watched from the shadows with no fear that anyone would see him. He watched as that robot of Alphys' cradled the Commander of the Royal guard who had dissolved into a disgusting mess. This was no good. This could potentially ruin all of his plans. He could not have this.

To think, after all these years, all it would take was one measly ghost to destroy the seal Gaster had put on Papyrus' conscience.

No matter. The seal could be replaced and this time, there will be no breaking it.


	7. Chapter 7

On the surface, Sans was the perfect picture of apathy and laziness.

Underneath, he was terrified.

He had teleported away before Mettaton could even finish telling him where they were at. He knew where the ghost cousins lived. He took a deep breath to compose himself enough to maintain his facade. It had already been damaged enough with his sudden arrival, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to salvage what he could of his damaged image.

Sans didn't even have a chance to knock before The door flew open.

"Sans, darling, thank you for coming," Mettaton was obviously trying very hard to maintain his image that he had perfected. Sans could hear the edge of weariness in his voice and the forced smile. Sans rolled his eyes. Mettaton pushed Sans back gently and stepped out so he could shut the door behind him.

"What happened. Do not leave anything out."

Mettaton's smile crumbled and he let out a weary sigh.

"It was when we left the party. He was so upset and I didn't know why. I tried to get him to stop and he… he hit me," Mettaton said. Sans winced. "I… I panicked. Got, I feel so stupid. I just… it reminded me of…"

Sans knew perfectly, but he remained silent.

"He lost it," Mettaton said. "I don't even know how to describe what happened. He was panicking and kept… apologizing."

Sans' eyes widened. Oh god, could it be…? Sans pushed Mettaton aside and opened the door.

"Sans-"

"Stay out here," Sans said.

"But-"

"Stay. Here."

Sans walked in and shut the door behind him. Any other day, he would laugh at the sight of Papyrus curled into a ball in a bright pink bed with a matching bright pink blanket pulled over his head in the middle of a bright pink room. Now was no time for laughter. Papyrus was shaking and still mumbling that same word, over and over and over again.

"Papyrus?" Sans whispered.

Papyrus froze. Than he shook even harder as he sobbed. Sans crossed the room in a few quick steps and attempted to lay a hand on Papyrus' shoulder. Papyrus recoiled from the touch like he had been burned.

"S-STAY AWAY!" he cried. "PLEASE… I DON'T… I DON'T WANT TO HURT ANYONE ANYMORE!"

"Papyrus," Sans' soul ached. It was just as he suspected.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE? OH NO. NONONONONONONO!"

"Papyrus, listen to me," Sans said softly.

Papyrus didn't respond. His sobbing grew grew in intensity.

"Papyrus!" Sans called even louder.

No response.

"PAPYRUS, FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME."

Papyrus froze. Before he could react, Sans had him wrapped in his arms.

"This isn't your fault," Sans said.

"I- I DID SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS, I-"

"What did I just say?" Sans reminded him calmly. Papyrus shut his mouth. "Now listen to me. Do you remember our father?"

"... WE HAD A FATHER?"

It was just as Sans suspected. As time wore on, Gaster had drifted front everyone's memories, even Papyrus'. Sans was the only one who remembered. Lucky him.

"His name was Gaster. He was the Royal Scientist before Alphys. Gaster was our father in name only. To him, we were nothing more than lab rats. He wanted to turn us into weapons to use against the humans," Sans said. "He used magic to try to seal away out personalities and turn us into nothing more than killing machines."

Sans pulled away and took a hold of Papyrus' chin. He gently raised Papyrus' tear-streaked face to meet his eyes. Papyrus had never looked so young.

"He failed, for the most part, but not without its effects. In me, he created an anger towards the humans, one that was easily destroyed by Frisk," Sans smiled softly at the thought of her. "In you, it sealed away your conscience- your ability to tell right from wrong. But that wasn't all. It gave you an overwhelming thirst for violence. One you could not control."

"WHY… WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY?" PAPYRUS ASKED.

"I was freed from my hatred for humanity thanks to Frisk," Sans said. "Do you know why?"

Papyrus shook his head.

"Because the only thing more powerful than hate, is love," Sans chuckled. "Sounds cheesy, I know. Like some kind of children's story, but it's true. I think your guilt over hurting the one you had fallen in love with broke through the seal and the thirst, freeing you from it."

"I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO BE FREE," Papyrus mumbled.

"It must be painful," Sans whispered. "But you have to deal with it. You must still deal with the consequences of your choices, even if you had no real control over them. But you are strong enough. And you aren't alone."

"IS THAT… IS THAT WHY YOU NEVER LEFT ME?" Papyrus asked.

Sans smiled.

"I wasn't going to abandon my only real family just because some quack messed with his head," Sans whispered.

"I'M SO SORRY, SANS. I'M SO SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY-"

"It'll be okay," Sans said. "We'll always be here for you. Frisk, me… Mettaton."

Papyrus fell silent.

"EARLIER… YOU SAID… THAT ME AND METTATON… BUT… WE HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN TOGETHER THAT LONG, HOW COULD YOU… DO I REALLY…?"

"You're rambling," Sans chuckled. "Monsters don't take that long to fall in love. Our souls just know, even if it takes us longer to catch up."

"SANS…"

"Yeah?"

"CAN… CAN I SLEEP WITH YOU TONIGHT?"

"What's wrong? Feeling bonely?"

"CONSCIENCE OR NOT, I WILL HIT YOU."

"I'd expect nothing less."


	8. Chapter 8

Flowey liked Cal. Just about everyone did. He had become fast friends with every monster he met. It reminded him of when bothe Chara then later Frisk fell. Just like them, he was so kind with everyone even when they weren't so kind in return. He knew how to make them laugh too. His jokes made everyone laugh harder than they had ever laughed before, which seemed to bother both of the Underground's resident comedians.

That didn't mean Flowey didn't notice what he was doing.

He saw the way Cal always seemed to find a way to physically insert himself between Sans and Frisk. He saw how he took every excuse to touch Frisk. He never touched her in a way that could be deemed 'sexual' but it was definitely more than was necessary. Sans was growing more and more aggravated by the human by the day, and more importantly, Frisk more and more uncomfortable.

Flowey had seen the way Cal looked at Frisk almost immediately and tried to nip it the bud with his speech about soul mates. Unfortunately, it looked like it was a waste of breath. Frisk wouldn't - couldn't- speak up and Cal didn't stop no matter how many times Sans snapped at him, usually accompanied by a flashing eye and dark joke. Cal just wasn't getting it, either that or he didn't care.

That was why Flowey had asked to speak to the human alone and away front prying ears. Asgore had invited everyone for dinner. Flowey was pretty sure the entire thing was an excuse to see Toriel again. Flowey was happy to see them in the same room. As Toriel's sanity slowly came back to her, their relationship was steadily getting better. It was a painfully slow process and Flowey wasn't a fool. He knew they may never truly be 'together' again. But he hoped they were at least able to be on friendly terms.

"What's up, Flowey?" Cal asked when they were alone. "It's something wrong?"

"No… well yes, actually. Look, I like you. But you need to back off a bit when it comes to Frisk," Flowey said.

"Did bonehead ask you to do this?" Cal asked.

"No. He doesn't know anything about this. I get you like her. I don't blame you. Everyone likes her on some level. There's gotta be something wrong with you if you don't. But she already has someone, and you need to respect that."

"Yeah, that lazy skeleton. Do you really think he deserves someone like her?" Cal asked. "I know I'm not the only one who thinks like that. The only one who seems to approve of their relationship is Asgore, and that's obit so he can use their relationship to his advantage. For all we know, Frisk could be unhappy and want out but can't say anything."

"She is happy with him, even if no one else wants to see it," Flowey said.

"How do you know? Did she tell you?"

"She doesn't have to. And Sans would never do anything to hurt her. If she were unhappy, he'd be the first to walk away," Flowey said. "But she isn't. I know it might be hard for you to understand. You don't know what it's like to have a soul mate."

"And you do?" Cal asked.

"Yes," Flowey said with a sad smile. "That bond… it is impossible to describe it with words. Frisk loves him. She wants to be with him. In the end, that's all that matters. You need to respect that."

Cal considered him for a moment.

"You know what? You're right. I'm sorry," Cal said. "Thank you. I'm… I'm gonna go apologize to them."

Flowey smiled worth relief.

"I am sorry. I know none of this is easy," Flowey said.

Cal nodded. Neither said another word as Cal went to rejoin the others. Flowey took a deep breath to calm himself. God, he promised himself he wouldn't cry.

"I miss you, Chara," he whispered. He felt a presence beside him. He looked, but no one was there. He jumped slightly when he felt something envelope him. He closed his eyes and smiled softly.

"You're here, aren't you Chara?" he said softly. Tears fell freely done his face. "Don't worry. I won't let them end up like us."

Flowey felt more than heard the words that followed and sent chills through his soul.

 _ **She is in danger. The human did not fall. He came for her.**_

There was a loud sound followed by angry screams. Flowey sunk into the ground and emerged in the dining hall almost in an instant. What he saw sent his mind reeling. Sans stood in a defensive position. His entire face was twisted in fury. Cal say only a couple of yards away. His back was against the wall and just above his head was a scorch mark that was no doubt caused by the Gaster Blaster that floated between the two.

Behind Sans was Frisk. She was curled up on the floor with her knees tucked under her chins. Flowey went to get side immediately. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. She was shaking so violently her teeth chattered. Her eyes were wide from since unseen terror.

What the hell happened?


	9. Chapter 9

Frisk figured that if Sans ever managed to make a friend, it would be the ghost. Napstablook had managed to convince the skeleton to join him on the floor. She could hear them grumbling at each other and complaining about one thing or another. Frisk giggled front where she stood against the wall, nursing her cup of golden flower tea. She looked around the room at the other monsters in the room. They all seemed to be having a good time. Frisk had been in the middle of them for most of the evening, but things always got a bit… overwhelming. It didn't help that she couldn't talk to them.

She wanted to. God, she really, really wanted to. She wanted to tell Toriel how much she loved her. She wanted to thank Flowey for always being there for her. She wanted to scold encourage Alphys as she slowly tried to fix the wrongs she had done, especially to Mettaton. That was the hardest for her, Frisk knew. Alphys hadn't been able to say a word to him, despite the fact that Frisk had seen her practicing her apologies in a mirror on numerous occasions. She wanted to both scream at Papyrus for the pain that he had put Sans through and comfort him as he struggled with the weight of his past wrongdoings.

There were so many things she wanted to tell all of her friends but she just… couldn't. She tried. Over and over again she tried, but the words wouldn't come. It was too hard for her after all those years of not being allowed to speak. It was easy with Sans. The bond created a sense of ease when she was with her soul mate that made it easy for her to open up with him. It was the only time she felt truly safe.

"Hey there, Frisk."

Frisk didn't even notice Cal come back in. He gave her a charming smile. Frisk smiled back politely.

"Taking a break from the monsters? I can understand that. They can be a bit eccentric," Cal said.

Frisk shook her head.

"I'm sure you must miss being with other humans," Cal said. "They are a lot more tolerable than these… _freaks."_

For the first time in her life, Frisk reacted violently. She didn't even think about it. As soon as the word was out of his mouth, Frisk swung at Cal with all her strength. The hit never landed. Cal easily caught her wrist and pulled her close enough for their noses to touch.

"Oh, so you have been corrupted so much that you would even turn on your own kind eh? Well, don't worry…"

Xxx

"...and _then_ he has the gall to come crawling back to me! I mean, I told him that yellow-bellied lizard was no good but did he listen to me? No!"

"Hm. You took him back tho?"

"Well, what was I gonna do? He's still family, as much as I would rather rip that ridiculous body of his to scrap," Napstablook grumbled.

"Yeah, well, could be worse," Sans said.

Napstablook snorted.

"As much as I'd love to lay here and do nothing for the rest of eternity…"

"Whatever. Go back to your human. It's not like I care," Napstablook huffed. He really didn't.

Sans sat up and looked around. Everyone had pretty much ignored the two monsters as they laid in the middle of the room. Sans wasn't surprised when he didn't see Frisk mingling with the others. Socializing was frustrating for his angel. He found her standing near the wall.

His unusually good mood soured when he saw who she was with.

Sans had let his guard down when he saw Cal leave with Flowey. Now here he was and Frisk didn't look at all comfortable with it. Before Sans could even get to his feet, Frisk- his peaceful, wouldn't hurt a fly angel- had thrown a punch straight for his face. Sans would be lying if he said he didn't get at least a little bit of smug satisfaction at that. But Cal was quick and stopped the blow and pulled his sweetheart in way too close. Frisk's face paled at something he said.

Enough was enough. Sans readied his magic to teleport, but before he could, Cal had forced his lips onto Frisk's. Frisk pushed back with all of her strength, but Cal was stronger. It wasn't until he felt the icy-cold touch in his soul that he realized he was in any danger. He was flung across the room and hit the wall painfully. If Sans had been a little quicker, he could of blasted the guy in the face before he had the chance to look up and dodge. Oh well, he wouldn't miss this time.

"What is going on here?" Asgore's voice boomed across the room as he approached.

"I-It's my fault," Cal said before Sans could reply. "I have some… feelings for Frisk and wanted to at least kiss her once. It was stupid and inappropriate of me, I know."

"Frisk! My child, are you alright?" Toriel cried as she ran to Frisk's side. The human had gotten back to her feet the moment she heard Asgore's voice. Sans hadn't noticed. His murderous eyes were trained on the human before him. Already, he was preparing another blast.

"Sans, stand down," Asgore ordered.

Sans ignored him. This bastard had said something to hurt his Frisk, and he was not going to let that stand!

Gentle fingers found their way between his. Sans turned sharply to Frisk, who was now by his side. She gave him a smile that was meant to be reassuring, but the obvious forcefulness of it was anything but. Sans took a deep breath. Fine. If Frisk didn't want him to blow this asshole straight to hell, than he would respect that. He dismissed the Gaster Blaster, though his eyes still burned with an unholy light.

"Well, it's been fun, but I am bone tired now," Sans said with a false cheeriness that would send chills down even the most powerful of monster's spine, especially when couples with the demonic smile that was plastered on the skeleton's face. "And Frisk here is all out of free kisses for the night. Goodnight, _C A L."_

Sans teleported away, taking Frisk with him. He hadn't really been thinking when he thought of where he was going, so he ended up in his default destination: his bedroom. He refused to let go of her hand, but he turned to face Frisk fully now. Her head was hung low, so he couldn't see her face.

"What happened? What did he say?" there was no response. "Sweetheart?"

Frisk let out a choked sob. Her shoulders began to shake. Sans realized that he was facing something he had never had to deal with before:

Frisk's tears.

Xxx

It was terror that drove Frisk to tears. Once they were away, it was all she could think about. It was a familiar feeling, but one she had not felt for a while now. For a while, it was constant. It was there in the basement. It was there as she took a plunge into the unknown. It was there as she and Flowey struggled to survive in a world that had been kill or be killed. It was there as she wondered whether or not Sans would accept her and their bond. Fear had consumed her life, up until that moment Sans had chosen to trust her. Until he had taken her hands into his and pressed his skull against hers.

And now it was back.

Not even Sans' embrace was enough to free her front it. Sans wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into his neck as she screamed. She screamed and she screamed as her tears made it impossible for her scream. He didn't say a word, which was just as well since she was too lost to understand them anyway. His arms around her, the little warth his body generated and the feeling of their bond as it resonated between them was the only thing keeping Frisk front ending her life then. Death was far more preferable to the nightmare that threatened to put an end to her happy little fairy tale.

" _Oh, so you have been corrupted so much that you would even turn on your own kind eh? Well, don't worry… Your uncle will have you cleansed in no time."_


	10. Chapter 10

Sans woke the moment his door opened. He instantly jumped up and was ready to defend himself if he needed.

"SANS?"

Sans relaxed some when he realized it was only his brother. Still, he couldn't bring himself to relax entirely. Even before the seal had broken, Papyrus hadn't laid a hand on him since his 'date' with Frisk (Sans wouldn't admit that their date still bothered him). Still, Sans couldn't bring himself to truly be comfortable in his brother's presence. There were too many bad memories of pain.

"TORIEL WAS JUST HERE. SHE WAS LOOKING FOR-OH."

Papyrus eyes fell on the body that lay next to Sans. Frisk remained undisturbed by the visitor as she slumbered on. Frisk had refused to leave Sans' side so instead of heading back home to Toriel, she had crawled into Sans' bed and refused to fall asleep until Sans joined her. She had fallen asleep with her back towards the wall and Sans between her and the rest of the room. It had warmed his soul to know that she looked to him for safety and broke it to know that she felt like she needed it.

"I DID NOT KNOW SHE WAS HERE," Papyrus said as quietly as his loud voice would allow.

"She… had a rough night," Sans said vaguely.

"TORIEL SAID THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED AT THE DINNER. I AM SORRY THAT I WAS NOT THERE. IS SHE ALRIGHT?"

Sans smiled. Even Papyrus, the formally cruel commander of the Royal Guard, could not help but worry about the precious creature beside him. He had no doubt that had Papyrus been there in the state he had been back then, not even Asgore could have stopped him front killing Cal where he stood. Hell, Sans wasn't entirely sure if this new Papyrus wouldn't have either.

"No," Sans said honestly. "No she isn't. That little shit said something that shook her up real bad, more than that 'kiss' of his did, I think."

"I… LIKED HIM, EVEN BEFORE. IT HAS APPEARED, HOWEVER, THAT HE MAY HAVE… HOW DO YOU SAY IT… PULLED A BLANKET OVER OUR EYES?"

"It's wool… and yeah. It looks like it," Sans didn't bother to point out that he had never been fooled. "But Frisk wouldn't want us to hurt him. I want to. God, I almost killed him in there, but Frisk stopped me."

"SHE IS TO GENTLE FOR HER OWN GOOD."

They fell silent.

"SANS, THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE OF GREAT IMPORTANT THAT I WISH TO DISCUSS WITH YOU."

"What is it, boss?"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT," Papyrus said. "I… I DO NOT LIKE IT ANYMORE."

"Sure thing… bro."

Sans was surprised at the soft smile he got in response. He was equally as surprised at how happy he was to call Papyrus that.

"SANS… THE OTHER WEEK, I SAW YOU AND FRISK AT WATERFALL. I KNOW FRISK CAN SPEAK," Papyrus said.

Sans wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"WHY HAS SHE DECEIVED US? WHY WON'T SHE SPEAK TO US AS WELL?"

"I asked her the same thing," Sans said. "She said that prior to the fall, she hadn't spoken in a really, really long time. She says she wants to, but can't. It seems like it may be a mental or emotional problem, versus a physical one."

"BUT SHE SPEAKS TO YOU."

"I know. I.. uh," Sans blushed a bit. "It's our… our bond, y'know? She says she feels… free when she's with me. Her words, not mine."

Papyrus stared at him.

"HAVE YOU TWO ENGAGED IN SEXUAL ACTIVITIES?"

Sans gaped at him.

"That's- that's not- I mean-"

"I HAD READ ONE OF ALPHYS' HUMAN HISTORY BOOKS AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS SOMETHING ALL COUPLES DID AS THEIR RELATIONSHIPS PROGRESSED."

"Y'- y'know those aren't actually history books right? It's all fiction," Sans said.

"THAT IS… VERY DISAPPOINTING. BUT STILL! THAT IS NOT JUST A HUMAN THING, IS IT NOT? I DON'T MEAN TO PRY, BUT… I AM A BIT OUT OF MY DEPTH WITH METTATON AND WANTED TO DISCUSS IT WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD A SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP."

"So… why not talk to Undyne?" Sans asked.

"BECAUSE… BECAUSE YOU ARE MY BROTHER. I HAVE BEEN AWFUL AND TERRIBLE TO YOU, BUT I WISH TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT, SO I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE DISCUSSING THINGS LIKE THIS WHICH WE BOTH HAVE IN COMMON MAYBE THE BEST TO SET UPON FIXING THIS MESS I CREATED."

Sans snorted.

"So… you thought _sex_ was the best thing for us to bond over?" Sans asked as he tried not to laugh.

Papyrus frowned.

"I FAIL TO SEE WHAT IS SO FUNNY."

"This conversation is a train wreck," Sans said. "How the hell did we get to Toriel to this?"

"I AM GLAD THIS AMUSES YOU."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Look, I'm probably the worse person for you to talk about this with," Sans said. A shadow crossed his features. "Y'know. After Gaster."

Papyrus looked confused.

"WHO IS THIS GASTER YOU SPEAK OF?"

Sans shook his head. Of course. Papyrus didn't remember. No one remembered him. Slowly, as Gaster spent more and more time in the void, he had been forgotten by all who knew him. All but Sans.

"Nobody. Just forget it. How about you talk to your boyfriend about this, ya?"

"SANS. DID SOMEBODY HURT YOU?" Papyrus' voice was so loud, he was almost yelling. Sans shushed him.

"You're gonna wake Frisk," Sans said.

"SANS…"

"Look, it's late. I'm tired and you're still recovering. Let's just get to bed yeah? We'll talk about this some other time."

"ALRIGHT. GOODNIGHT, BROTHER."

"Good night… bro."

Once the door was shut, Sans laid back down and turned so that he was facing Frisk. Now, Sans was stuck dealing with the exact same problem he had been struggling with before he had finally fallen asleep earlier: that repulsive feeling.

Although perhaps… it wasn't as repulsive as he once thought. He had been doing a little… research into the sexual side of things for about a week now. That included what was no doubt the exact same books that Papyrus had mentioned before. Not only those, however. He had read quite a few monster romances when no one was looking as well.

Honestly, Sans was very, very confused on what he should be feeling. Those books treated this feeling as normal. Did Frisk have the same feelings about him? Sans was disgusting and dirty, but there had to be something that had inspired Gaster to do such… things. Sans didn't know what he would think if she did.

Maybe he should talk to her about it. But that would mean talking about Gaster. He wasn't sure he was ready for that.

The feeling didn't make him feel so sick anymore though.


	11. Chapter 11

Cal watched as the most popular couple in the Underground made their way through the forest, hand in hand. The couple didn't even realize how much their relationship meant to the pathetic creatures who lived down here. As Asgore had said, their relationship had sparked hope in the monsters. The two just never stopped to think about just how much hope that was. The two fools probably didn't care. All they cared about was each other.

How nauseating.

Cal could barely hear the soft crunching of footsteps approaching. Cal turned to meet the newcomer with a smirk.

"I see you've got your body back."

...

"I know and I don't care. It all turned out well."

…

"I know what I'm doing. I've come to far to screw this up."

…

"Because she was supposed to be _mine_. I was the one who was supposed to marry her after they were done with the cleansing. She wasn't supposed to end up with this… thing."

…

"The only reason I've agreed to work with you is because it helps me get what I want and you get what you want. Don't forget, if it wasn't for us, you wouldn't be standing here."

…

"Yeah, yeah. I'm taking a big risk helping you here, y'know."

…

"Whatever. Have fun."

Xxx

Sans walked Frisk home the next day. She had been deathly silent since the previous night. She hadn't spoken a single word, not even to Sans. Sans sensed that she didn't really want to leave, but if she wasn't home soon, Toriel was likely to come and burn the skeleton brothers' entire house down. So, reluctantly, they had risen early early, cleaned themselves up, and headed for the Ruins. Frisk held tightly to Sans' hand as they walked through the paths in the forest. There was no one out, not even the doggos for their morning patrol. They had gotten lazy since Papyrus has been absent.

When the door of the Ruins came into sight, Frisk stopped. Sans didn't even notice until he felt the tug at his hand. He turned to look at her. She was staring at the ground still, as she had been the entire way. Sans wanted to ask what was wrong, but refrained. Frisk would tell him if she wanted to.

Finally, Frisk took two steps forward to press her face into his neck. The hand that wasn't squeezing the life out of Sans' was clenched into the fabric of Sans' jacket at his said. Sans instinctively wrapped his free hand around her back. They stood there for a few moments before Frisk finally spoke for the first time since the fiasco the previous night. It was soft and almost inaudible, but Sans heard it as clear as if she had yelled it in his ear.

"Please don't hate me."

Sans couldn't help the short laugh that escaped him.

"That is the most impossible thing I have ever heard," Sans said. "I should be the one saying that. Only the most evil bastard in the entire universe could hate you."

Frisk let out a shaky breath.

"... I love you sweetheart," he said, softer this time.

Frisk pulled away and wiped the tears that had gathered front her eyes. She gave him a soft smile. Sans pressed his forehead against hers.

"Frisk? Is that you?"

Toriel stood in the doorway of the now open Ruins. Frisk gave her a small wave. Frisk took another deep breath before placing a chaste kiss on Sans' mouth. Frisk's hand slipped front his and he watched her as she ran over to Toriel. Toriel fussed over her for a moment before leading her inside and shutting the doors behind them. Sans stood there for a few moments before turning to head back.

Sans heard a twig snap from among the trees. He turned to look. Cal stood there, watching him with a smug smile on his face. He wasn't there long, however. He turned and ran into the forest. Rage burned within Sans. He may not be able to kill him, but sure as hell could beat the crap outta him.

Sans took off after him. He wanted to teleport, but he didn't see Cal anymore. If he teleported and lost his trail, he may not have another opportunity like this. All he could do was follow where he had ran. He could hear him though. The little shit wasn't even trying to be quiet. In hindsight, he probably should have found that suspicious.

Sans felt the moment he had stepped into the trap. He desperately reached for his magic to teleport away, but it was too late. His magic was sealed. Something knocked him to the ground and his head slammed against a rock hidden in the snow. He groaned as his hand went to the new crack in his skull. If it weren't for the LV he had acquired, he would have been dead.

There was the soft sound of footsteps in the snow.


	12. Chapter 12

Frisk didn't get any sleep the next night. She tried to. She was so tired after pretending nothing was wrong for Toriel all day. Toriel was getting better all the time. She still wasn't entirely sane and Frisk feared she may never be. At least she didn't try to kill anyone who said anything not entirely polite to Frisk. It took a while for Frisk to make Toriel understand that she was fine with the other monsters' rough and often rude ways.

Frisk say up, giving up on getting any sleep. She left the room decided to go get something to read. It would help get her mind of things. She wished she was with Sans. She passed the stairs and stopped. There was a knocking sound coming from the bottom of the stairs. Someone was knocking on the Ruin doors. The long hall echoed the sound.

Frisk hesitated. The knocking was growing more and more frantic. She should go and investigate, but what if it was Cal? She couldn't ignore the possibilities that someone was in trouble either and if she woke Toriel the unstable mother would never open the doors.

"It's Papyrus."

Frisk jumped.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Flowey said. "But you need to open the door. Something's happened."

Frisk nodded. She ran down the stairs and through the hall to the door. She hesitated a moment before cracking the door open. Papyrus flung the door open. Frisk had never seen Papyrus like this before. He looked frantic and panicked. The only thing left of the cool and wrathful Commander of the Royal Guard before her was clothes on his back.

"SOMETHING'S WRONG HE'S GONE I CAN'T FIND HIM SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING I DON'T KNOW BUT IT'S HAPPENING WHAT AM I GOING TO DO-"

"Whoa whoa there, ease back a bit, golly, do you want her to go deaf?" Flowey scolded.

"I-I'M SORRY. I CAN'T FIND SANS. HE HASN'T COME HOME SINCE YOU TWO LEFT THIS MORNING. I KNOW THAT ISN'T ENTIRELY UNUSUAL, BUT I JUST… SOMETHING IS WRONG. I CAN FEEL IT."

"Something? What kind of something?"

"I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW, BUT WE HAVE TO FIND MY BROTHER!"

Frisk took Papyrus' hand. He looked down at her. She gave him a weak smile, but there was no masking the way her hand shook. She let go and turned to the path that led into the forest. She closed her eyes.

"FRISK?"

"Shh!" Flowey shushed him.

Frisk wasn't sure what she was doing. Flowey had told her how it was done, but this was the first time she had actually tried this.

" _Focus on the bond," Flowey said. "Block all other thoughts from your mind. Think only of your mate."_

Frisk felt a tingling sensation on her chest, just above her heart. The soul mark began glow. It was dim, but it was there. Than the feeling came. It was strange and unusual. It should have felt foreign, but it wasn't. Than she was met with the full assault of what she had achieved.

 _Pain._

 _So much Pain._

 _It hurts._

 _It hurts._

 _Make it stop._

 _Kill me._

 _Kill me kill me kill me kill me kill me kill me kill me-_

 _No, no I can't._

 _Can't die._

 _Frisk…_

 _SANS!_

Frisk's eyes flew open and she ran. She didn't know if Papyrus or Flowey followed her, but she didn't care. She could feel him. He was here. He was just ahead-

"SANS!"

Xxx

"SANS!"

That cry was one that would become a familiar part of his nightmares, along with the scene before him. Papyrus stood just outside of the magical circle. The only reason he hadn't crossed it and landed himself inside the trap was because Flowey had seen it and stopped him with his vines.

Inside the circle, Frisk continued to scream Sans' name as she cradled Sans' head in her lap. Papyrus couldn't see the extent of the damage done to his brother due to his jacket that Frisk had no doubt draped over his brother's naked body. For that he was grateful. He already had enough clues from the ground around them. Sans' clothes were in shreds and there were fluids on the ground that made Papyrus want to puke when he realized what it was.

"Sans Sans Sans!"

Frisk sobbed.

There was the sound of footsteps in the snow.

A dark figure stepped out of the shadows. Fear grasped Papyrus' soul. He didn't know why. He recognized this monster, but he doesn't know him. He was a skeleton like himself, dressed in a black suit and a red high-necked shirt underneath. He gave him a cold smile that sent chills down Papyrus' spine.

" _ **Hello. It has been a long time, my son."**_

Papyrus stated at him in confusion.

" _ **You don't remember me. I've been trapped in the Void for a long time. I am your father. My name is Gaster."**_

" _... WE HAD A FATHER?"_

" _His name was Gaster. He was the Royal Scientist before Alphys. Gaster was our father in name only. To him, we were nothing more than lab rats. He wanted to turn us into weapons to use against the humans. He used magic to try to seal away out personalities and turn us into nothing more than killing machines."_

" _He sealed away your conscience- your ability to tell right from wrong. But that wasn't all. It gave you an overwhelming thirst for violence. One you could not control."_

"YOU!" Papyrus growled. "HOW DARE YOU HARM MY BROTHER!"

" _ **Forgive me, but I believe you are hardly the person to scold me about hurting Sans."**_

Papyrus stepped back like he had been stunned.

" _ **You two will be coming with me now. The plan was to wait for you to come find Sans, but I didn't expect you to bring friends. You have put me in a very complicated position."**_

"You are Sans' father?" Frisk said quietly. Papyrus hadn't even noticed she had stopped screaming. Her eyes eye so firmly planned on Sans' face.

" _ **That would be me, yes."**_

"You did this… to your own son?"

Her voice sounded cold and hollow.

" _ **He was the one who trapped me in that wretched place. He had to be punished."**_

Papyrus didn't know what happened next. Frisk had looked up and at Gaster. Papyrus couldn't see her face from where he was, but he saw Gaster's. He saw the moment his cool mask broke. Gaster took a step back, and disappeared, and the magic seal along worth it.

Papyrus ran forward immediately. Whatever had frightened Gaster was gone. Frisk gently stroked Sans cheek. Papyrus was sick. That man… was their father? No wonder Papyrus had turned into such a…

"We should get him home," Flowey suggested softly.

Frisk doesn't react.

"Frisk, we can't heal him here."

"Shut up, you fucking weed," Frisk said. Papyrus recoiled in shock.

"It's the effect of Sans' soul. She had reached through the bond to find him. They're still connected. Oh god, she must be feeling his pain right now."

Frisk say up straight suddenly.

"S-sorry," she mumbled.

"LET'S GET SANS SOMEWHERE SAFE," Papyrus said. He reached out to Sans.

"Don't touch us!" Frisk snapped. Her eye began to glow red as Sans' magic coursed through her front the bond. Her soul mark glowed just as brightly.

Suddenly, they were gone.


	13. Chapter 13

They didn't know a life before the pain. There had always been pain. The experiments were never ending. Each injection into their bones made them wish that maybe this time something would go wrong. Maybe this is time, his pain could end.

They loved their parents. They weren't perfect, but as far as they were concerned, they were the closest anyone could get. They wish they could have one more day with them. One more day so they could tell them how much they loved them. To be safe in their arms for even just one more minute.

If they thought that the experiments were bad, they were nothing compared to this. They felt sick. Physically the pain wasn't as bad as some of the tests that had been run on them. It was the emotional side of it, the violation that broke him.

They spent ten years in that basement. Ten years without ever saying a word. Ten years not seeing anyone other than that man with the same face as her father and her cousin who did anything he could to make her life a little better. They were not allowed to read. There was no window and the only time the light was ever turned on was when her uncle came to beat her or to try some new ritual that was supposed to break the monster 'curse.' They were trapped and there was no getting out.

Every time they felt the new soul growing within their own shatter was just as bad as the last. In the end it was probably better. If they had been born, they would have been forced to suffer the same fate as them. But there was no words to describe the bond between a monster and their child. Their soul grew inside their own until it was mature enough to enter the body formed from their mother's magic. The pain of that soul dying within their own was indescribable.

Hope. They hadn't felt such a thing in a long time. But this spirit gave it to them in spades. They weren't alone, not really. There was someone out there, someone she was destined to find. They had a reason to survive this. They had to find their soul mate. After that... They didn't know for sure what was after that. But she would have a future. A future with someone she could love. That was worth living for.

He was gone. He was gone and they were free. They didn't feel free though. They still had this anger that Their had put inside them. They had discovered what he had done to them as they studied all of their father's research. Who were they really? What would they have been without their father's tampering with their personalities? What would have his brother been like?

They had done it. With their cousin's help, they had escaped. They were here. It wasn't what she was expecting, not that their knew exactly what they had been expecting. They were determined. Then they saw them. They looked exactly as they remembered. They didn't know what they felt about them. On one hand they were funny and would do small things to help them. On the other, they were just as cold and aloof as the rest of the monsters. They were no saint, but they were not cruel either. There was a feeling growing in their heart, a feeling they had never felt before.

They met them. They were just as beautiful as they remembered. They were kind and gentle. They were the first to ever treat them with something other than harsh words and cruel actions. They took the hatred they felt and blew it away. For the first time, they were free. Than they took their hand and welcomed them into their heart. He wasn't worthy, he knew. They deserved someone and gentle as them and as brave as them. They didn't deserve someone as broken and defiled as them.

They loved them. More than anything. They did not regret a single choice they had made. They wanted them to be happy. They wanted to be by their side. They had been their reason for living. When they had taken the knife to their wrist, they had been the reason they decided to keep going. Everything they had done since then was so they could meet them, and they were not going to give him up. They were _theirs,_ just as they belonged to them. They would rather die than then give them up.

Why. Why why why. They had been free. Why why why no no no no they didn't want to hurt anymore.

Rage.

So much rage.

They did not know they were capable of such an intense feeling.

Than nothing.

There was only one thought.

One all consuming thought.

 _K I L L._

No. this wasn't them. They didn't kill.

But it was. It was there. Buried deep. Something dark, hidden deep within their soul.

That's fine. They were here. They were not okay, but they were here. Nothing could hurt them now.

Two bodies, two souls, one being.

 _And now there were three._

Xxx

She opened her eyes. Her eyes met the glow of faint red. They were in his room, on his mattress on the floor. Their foreheads were pressed together. She raised a gentle had to his cheek bones. His eyes faded in their sockets and he pressed into the touch. A sob escaped him. She looked down. She had an idea of what she was going to see, but it didn't really prepare her for it.

Through his rib cage, she could see his soul. It was upside down and glowing with a soft white color. It was a beautiful sight, but what she was looking for was what was inside his soul. Inside, barely indistinguishable from the soul it resided in, was another soul. It looked like a smaller version of the larger soul. She could tell how weak and fragile it was just by looking at it.

"Why is this happening to me again?" Sans whispered. "It won't survive it… it's going to die. They always die."

Frisk closed her eyes and pulled his head against her chest.

"I'm here this time," she whispered. "You aren't alone anymore. He won't hurt you again."

 _M._


	14. Chapter 14

" _ **It would be better if you killed her."**_

"Excuse me?"

Cal glared at the monster before him. Gaster stared back at him with calm indifference.

"She is the whole reason I am in this godforsaken place. She is the reason we brought you back from the void!" Cal hissed.

" _ **I know what she is."**_

Cal hesitated.

" _ **If we somehow manage to trigger that 'side' of her, there is nothing anyone could do to stop her, human or monster."**_

"That won't happen," Cal said dismissively. "She's too nice for that."

" _ **I have already caught a glimpse of it."**_

Cal didn't respond.

" _ **She is too dangerous to remain alive."**_

"If we get her back to her family, they will take care of it," Cal said. "But that won't happen with those friends of hers in the way."

" _ **Why don't you take care of them? It would be simpler for a human such as yourself."**_

"There aren't enough monsters down here. I would never gain enough LV," Cal said. "They've spent so long killing each other," Cal said. "They've spent so long killing each other, I'd never gain enough LV to beat monsters like Asgore. So I have to try to make them trust me enough to lower their guard, but that isn't easy with how guarded theses monsters are. I don't know how Frisk did it! That's why I need you, you and that weapon of yours."

" _ **And you shall have both. Keep what I have said in mind. That girl is not to be underestimated."**_

Gaster walked away and disappeared into the shadows. Cal glared after him. He hated having to work with one of those creatures, but he didn't have a choice. It was all according to his plan, and he was just another pawn. He would be lying if he said that fact didn't bother him, but so long as he got what he was promised he could live with it.

God, it was so cold. How did they even get snow here in the Underground? He began to walk back to Snowdin when the snapping of a twig drew his attention back behind him. He half expected to see that goddamn scientist again, but was pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, hell Frisk," he purred. "How are you doing today?"

Xxx

Papyrus ran into his house, panting. He and Flowey had been searching for the two of them everywhere. Flowey was the first to find them. He had stopped Papyrus just as he was about to enter Hotlands when Flowey had found him and told him he had found his brother in his room. Of course. Why hadn't he thought to look there first? He ran straight to the Ferryperson, who only agreed to give him a ride under threat of death.

Papyrus ran straight upstairs. He slammed the door open. Sans looked at the door in fear, though he seemed to calm some when he saw Papyrus. Papyrus ran straight up to Sans and was going to pull him into a hug. Papyrus stopped when Sans scrambled to get away from him. The look of fear on his brother's face was soul crushing. He'd never seen his brother afraid, no matter what Papyrus had done to him.

"Well, since he's here, why don't you tell your brother what you have done," Flowey growled.

"Done?" Papyrus questioned. "Done what? What has happened?"

Sans remained silent.

"Check his stats," Flowey said.

Papyrus glared at him. No one told him what to do.

"Just do it," Flowey snapped.

Papyrus rolled his eyes but decided to do as he said.

Sans

LV 1

HP 1/1

EXP: 0

That… that wasn't right. The last time he checked his brother's stats, he was at LV 10. What happened?  
"Tell him. Tell him where all your LV went," Flowey demanded.

Sans chuckled softly.

"Sans?"

"I can't protect her," Sans said softly. "She needed some way to defend herself. I just gave it to her, or else Gaster would have killed her."

"Gave her… your LV?" Papyrus asked. "How is that… that's not… that is impossible!"

"Not with their bond," Flowey said. "You… yo T! Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Sans hung his head.

"I don't understand," Papyrus said. He was beginning to get irritated.

"Sans gave Frisk his LV when they were in the forest with Gaster. God, no wonder Gaster ran away," Flowey was sounding more and more frantic by the moment. "We have to get Asgore and everyone right away. We have to stop her!"

"Stop Frisk?" Papyrus asked in bewilderment. "Why?"

"Because that isn't Frisk anymore."

Xxx

Cal barely managed to dodge the first attack. The blade missed his neck by a mere inch. Cal didn't get a chance to avoid the next one. The bone hit him in the back with so much force it knocked the wind out of him and reduced his HP to 1. Cal fell to his hands and knees and coughed as he tried to regain his breath. He looked up weakly to his attacker, fear painted on his face.

The creature before him wasn't the Underground's Angel. Not anymore. This… thing wore her skin, but there was no other resemblance between the two. A dark shadow crossed her features and a single eyes was glowing bright red. There was a demonic smile across her face that had no business being on the usually pacifist's face. There was a knife in her hand one of Sans' Gaster Blasters behind her.

He had to get away. Cal tried to run, but Frisk knocked him back down again and onto his back. She straddled his chest to keep him front getting up. Before he could even try to get up, he felt a sharp, excruciating pain in his chest. He screamed in pain as Frisk pulled the knife back out, only to stab him again.

"DON'T DIE JUST YET. I DON'T WANT THIS TO END TOO SOON. I'M HAVIN TIME, AFTER ALL."


	15. Chapter 15

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? HOW IS IT NOT FRISK?" Papyrus asked.

"Do you know what happened to last human?" Flowey asked.

"SHE FELL ILL AND DIED," Papyrus said. "EVERYONE KNOWS THIS."

Flowey shook his head.

"That's just what they told everyone," Flowey said.

"What are you goin' on about?" Sans demanded.

"There was an… incident," Flowey said. "A monster who hated humans tried to kill her. She defended herself and accidentally killed him. She gained two whole LV front him. She reloaded and managed to avoid killing him again, but the damage was done. She was never the same after that. This… darkness had infected her. She poisoned herself because she was afraid of what she would do."

"RELOADED?" Papyrus echoed. "WHAT ARE YOU GOING ON ABOU-"

Sans hated it when Frisk reloaded. It was disorienting to say the least. One second, his brother and Flowey were before him, the next they were gone and he was alone and laying down on his bed. Except this wasn't Frisk, was it? It was strange how different one human's determination was from the other. This power belonged to someone much more sinister.

Sans stood up and weakly walked over to where his spare jacket was. It was a rather plane jacket compared to his usual one, but he had lost that one in the forest. Every movement made his bones ache. He could feel the ghosts of _his_ hands all over his body. Sans forced himself to ignore it. That wasn't important right now. All that mattered was Frisk. He half stumbled his way to the front door.

What was he going to do?

The thought made him hesitate before the door. What could he do? He didn't have his LV anymore. He was, once again, the weakest monster in the Underground. No. He couldn't think like that. That never stopped him before. He never needed Papyrus to protect him before, despite what he allowed his brother and every other monster believe. He could do this. 1HP or no.

Frisk needed him. In the end, that was all that mattered.

Xxx

Papyrus ran into his house, panting. He and Flowey had been searching for the two of them everywhere. Flowey was the first to find them. He had stopped Papyrus just as he was about to enter Hotlands when Flowey had found him and told him he had found his brother in his room. Of course. Why hadn't he thought to look there first? He ran straight to the Ferryperson, who only agreed to give him a ride under threat of death.

Papyrus ran straight upstairs. He slammed the door open.

Nothing.

There wasn't a single soul in the room. Papyrus cursed. Where did he go? He searched every room in the house. Where was he? Did Flowey lie?

" _ **Sans isn't here anymore."**_

Papyrus felt an old and familiar anger fill his soul. At least this time, his anger was justified. If looks could kill, the monster who had invaded his home would be nothing but a pile of dust on the floor. Gaster returned his look with a cold smile.

" _ **I thought it was time we spoke. You must have so many questions."**_

"JUST ONE. HOW PAINFUL DO YOU WANT YOUR DEATH TO BE."

Gaster chuckled.

"WHAT IS SO FUNNY?"

" _ **You are just as willful as you've always been. Did you know you attacked me once during your brother and I's... ah… special time? It wasn't because you cared about him of course. No, you just wanted your plaything to yourself. Such a possessive child. Honestly, I'm surprised you even tolerate how close your brother has gotten to that human."**_

"I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR MY BROTHER'S NAME COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH AGAIN!"

Gaster calmly watched as bones began to materialize menacingly around him. Papyrus' eyes burned with rage. Gaster looked from the bones to Papyrus and smirked.

Papyrus did not hear the words, but he felt their effects. He felt suddenly light headed. He felt as though the world were spinning and becoming further and further away. Then there was nothing.

Xxx

The bones disappeared around him. Papyrus stood stock still in the middle of the room with an expressionless look on his face. Gaster walked forward and was pleased to see Papyrus not react. Gaster walked around his second son. He had grown into quite the formidable monster. The experiment may have ultimately been a failure in Papyrus' case, but at least they weren't a complete waist.

" _ **It is too bad that you did not receive the same powers as your brother. You would have been the ultimate weapon. But, at least you can still serve a purpose."**_

Gaster stood before him, contemplating.

" _ **Bow."**_

Papyrus immediately fell to one knee, his head bowed. Gaster chuckled.

" _ **Not so proud now, are you? You will find the human and kill her. Once that has been accomplished, you will bring your brother to me unharmed."**_

Papyrus rose.

"YES FATHER."

Papyrus walked past Gaster and left the house. Gaster watched him go with a pleased smile. Once that girl was gone, Cal would be next. As if he cared what those pitiful humans wanted front him. His life's work was to kill every single last one of those creatures. Once he had Sans' broken to his will, that was exactly what he was going to do. Only that girl was standing in his way. That pesky bond kept Sans front succumbing to the programing that Gaster had placed in the souls of his two sons. Once she was gone, everything would be within his grasp.


	16. Chapter 16

Soooo… long time no see? I'm so sorry for the wait! I have honestly had zero inspiration to write anything recently, but I wanted to get another chapter out so you know I haven't dropped this! I do want to finish this story, but depression has been kicking my ass recently. Hopefully you'll hear from me again soon!

Blake out!

xxx

 _It was angry._

The rage filled its heart. It must find. It must _kill._ They deserved it. They hurt them. They must die for what they have done. They did not deserve to live. So it searched. It didn't know where to look and it did not care. It would find what it was looking for.

It stopped. Something had blocked its path. It did not know what it was or who it was. It did not care. The thing spoke, but it did not care. It was in its way. Anything was in its way deserved what it got. It struck. The magic was unnatural and it burned its soul as it used it. The thing survived, but just barely. The thing had the wisdom not to remain in its way. It continued on.

 _It hurts._

The pain was a constant friend now. This magic that was not its own did not belong. Its soul screamed in pain as it forced the magic to remain. Something else was calling the magic. Something wanted to take the magic back. But it refused.

 _It was afraid._

There was a voice, coming from the innermost parts of its soul. She begged to be set free. She begged it to stop. She pleaded for him to come and save her. But it refused. Still, the voice's fear infected it. It chose to ignore it as the rage overpowered all else.

A cruel smile broke out across its face as a disturbed chuckle escaped its lips.

Xxx

Sans ran through the damp lands of Waterfall. He could still feel her, but she felt… weak. Like she was fading. At the same time, he felt something growing it her place. This was his fault. He had been so terrified of Gaster killing her that he sentenced her to another death. It wasn't really him, his logical side told him. She was the one to latched onto his power. It was her overwhelming desire to protect him that allowed her to take his power.

But he had let her. He could have stopped her, but he didn't. Now, Frisk was the one suffering with the consequences. He would fix this, he swore. He would not let her be destroyed by his darkness.

Sans was drawn front his thoughts when he heard someone walking up behind him. Expecting the worse, Sans whirled around to face the danger. His eye glowed weakly, reflecting his weakened magic. He was relieved when the new arrival turned out not to be a threat at all.

"Hey bro, what's up?" Sans tried to sound stronger than he silence was the only response he got. Papyrus didn't even seem to acknowledge him as he walked straight passed him.

"Hey? Bro? You alright?" Sans asked as he followed him. He reached out and grabbed Papyrus' arm in an attempt to get his attention. Papyrus finally stopped. He turned and looked as Sans with a look that sent chills down Sans' spine. His eyes were lifeless; completely void of any emotion. It was like Sans was looking into the eyes of a complete stranger. The moment he let go, Papyrus turned back around and continued his march. Sans blinked and shook his head.

"Papyrus! Wait!"

There was no response. Sans disappeared and blinked back into existence before his brother. The effort left Sans feeling like he was going to collapse at any second. He was getting dangerously close to empty.

"Papyrus, stop!" Sans demanded. Papyrus did. He fixed Sans with the same dead look, but didn't say anything in response.

"What's happened to you? Answer me!" Sans snapped.

Papyrus was silent for a moment.

"Pap-"

"I MUST COMPLETE MY MISSION. REMOVE YOURSELF FROM MY PATH OR I WILL REMOVE YOU MYSELF."

Sans stared at his brother in horror.

 _Gaster!_

"Papyrus, you can fight this. You can't let him win!"

"BROTHER MUST BE UNHARMED. REMOVE YOURSELF FROM MY PATH."

"Where are you going? What does he want you to do? What are-"

Sans paused and took a deep breath.

"What is your mission?"

"TO KILL THE HUMAN THAN CAPTURE MY BROTHER AND BRING HIM TO MY FATHER UNHARMED."

Sans staggered as though he had been hit. This could not be happening right now. Not with Frisk the way she is. If Papyrus found her, there was no telling how it would end. It took a moment for Sans to realize that Papyrus had begun to walk again. Sans used what little magic he had left to conjure a bone in his right hand. He held it pointed towards his chest and directly at his soul.

"If you take another step, I will kill myself."

Papyrus stopped.

"I'll do it! You of all people know I will!"

"Don't!"

Flowey popped up between the brothers.

"You are the only one who can stop Frisk! You have to take your magic and LOVE back before it's too late!"

Sans hesitated.

"Listen to me. If you don't get that LOVE back soon, Frisk will be lost forever!"

Sans cursed and dropped the bone. Once he had done so, Papyrus started walking again. Sans didn't move from his spot as the footsteps faded away.

"I know where she is, but we must hurry."

"What about my brother?" sans whispered. "What if I take it back and he kills her?"

"You would rather have Frisk kill him?" Flowey asked. "She would rather die than live knowing that she had killed one of her friends."

Sans fell to his knees and brought his hands up over his head.

"Why?" he sobbed. "Why do these things have to happen? Finally- I was finally happy! _We_ were happy! Why her? She doesn't deserve any of this! Hasn't she… haven't we suffered enough? What have we done to deserve this?"

Flowey remained silent.

"Nothing," Flowey said firmly. "Neither have done anything to deserve any of this. This isn't some sort of divine retribution. People like Gaster are just cruel. We are all just victims of cruel monsters and humans who like to hurt people because they can. But that doesn't mean we have to just give up. Not with people like Frisk out there."

Sans looked up.

"And she needs us. She needs _you._ "

Sans took a shaky breath and stood up weakly.

"Let's go save your princess, trashbag."

"Shut up, weed."


	17. Chapter 17

A single figure sat on the boulder in the middle of the snow covered clearing. On the surface, she seemed innocent enough. A soft smile was on her lips as she hummed a song not even she herself could place. There was almost something childlike about how her head tilted side to side as she hummed and swung her legs up and down against the boulder. Her bangs hung low over her eyes, hiding them front view. It was an almost serene scene.

She suddenly stopped humming at the sound of someone coming through the trees in front of her. Not just on person either. She was mildly disappointed when the former queen burst through the trees, followed by Mettaton and Undyne. The smile remained in place and did not waver for even a moment. Instead of greeting the newcomers, she went back to humming.

"My child! Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you!" Toriel scolded.

"Seriously, you little dipshit, you and the skele-bros have been out of action for at least a day now!" Undyne snapped. Toriel whirled around at her, fixing her with a murderous glare.

"How DARE you refer to MY child as a- as a- I will not tolerate such rudeness!"

Ignoring them, Mettaton walked up to Frisk.

"Wh-where is Papyrus?" he pleaded. "I know something is wrong. What has happened?"

Undyne watched Mettaton in surprise, even as Toriel continued to berate her. In all the years she had known him, she was not used to him behaving this way. Even after one of Alphys'... episodes, he had maintained his 'superstar' persona. It was all gone now.

Frisk did not seem to notice. She just continued to hum as though there was no one else around. Mettaton hadn't expected a verbal answer, but she should have reacted in some way. On that matter, not one of them had ever heard Frisk make a noise outside of giggling at one of Sans jokes. Dread began to fill Mettaton's soul. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. A soft crunching sound drew his attention to something behind Frisk. Mettaton sighed in relief when he saw Papyrus standing there.

"Papyrus, darling! I was so worried-"

"LOOK OUT!"

Undyne's spear barely intercepted Papyrus' attack before it hit Frisk. It would have pierced her heart, had she not stopped it. Toriel screamed in fury as she launched a series of fire attacks at him. Papyrus sidestepped them effortlessly. He approached silently, but his bloodthirst covered the clearing like a blanket. Only Frisk seemed to have either not noticed or reacted to it.

"Papyrus, what's the matter?" Mettaton asked as he quickly walked towards the Royal Guardsman. "You can talk to me. Tell me what happ-"

A cold hand gripped his soul as he was sent hurling into a nearby tree. Mettaton didn't even have a moment to to recover before he was bombarded with bones. Undyne watched with a grimace as the robot was destroyed right before her. She turned back to him with a disapproving glare.

"I thought we had moved past all this. We were changing. And now you want to ruin all that? Hell, weren't you two, like, a thing? What the hell!"

There was no answer. Papyrus continued to approach. Undyne stepped forward, ahead of the Queen who was now pleading with Frisk to leave. Frisk did not move, nor did she stop humming.

"You know what? Fine. I've always wanted to beat that shitty face of yours in anyway!"

"Wait!'

Later, Undyne would never admit how relieved she was to see the dark ghost that descended between Undyne and her foe. The ghost was such a dark shade of violet, that it was almost black. It's one visible eye was a brighter purple, while the other was covered by what almost seemed to be hair.

"Come on Papy, it's me. Please. I don't know what's wrong, but I know this isn't you. Not anymore. You can fight this. I'm here for you," Mettaton said. There was something softer about his voice in this form, Undyne noticed. It had a wispier sound Like Napstablooks, but it was also softer. Papyrus wavered for a moment. His brows knitted together in confusion. The moment passed, and he attacked. Undyne tensed, but the attack passed through him harmlessly.

"You can't kill a ghost," Mettaton said. His words was laced with pain, not physical, but emotional. He knew this wasn't his Papyrus. He wasn't this person anymore. Even so, the knowledge that his Papyrus had tried to kill him, not once but twice…

"Take Frisk and leave with Toriel, I'll handle this-"

"I-I never told you my name, well, my name before I became Mettaton. 'Happstablook.' What a terrible name!" Mettaton chuckled softly. "'Hapstablook' was so weak. I mean, look at me! 'Hapstablook' was just a burden that Napstablook was forced to take care of. That's why our cousin became a dummy, you know. He was sick of taking care of useless 'Hapstablook'."

Papyrus stopped moving.

"When Alphys offered to make me a body, I was so happy. I thought 'Finally, I don't have to be… me anymore. I can finally be… something better.' All I wanted was to be a star. To be someone Napstablook could be proud of… How stupid I was."

Papyrus did not respond, but his eyes remained fixed on the ghost before him.

"Look at what I became. I had a body- a strong body- but I was just as weak as before. I never wanted to hurt anyone. The things I was forced to do, I-" Hapstablook hesitated. "I hated myself more than ever. But then…"

Undyne began to notice a change. It was ever so slight, but there was something there in Papyrus' eyes.

"You know, I was surprised when you accepted my offer. You were always so scary, but for some reason I was drawn to you. I can't explain why. I was.. Happy. With you. Even if it was only for a little while. I don't know if you are still in there, but I want to believe. Because you are stronger than this. You. Can. Beat. This."

Papyrus looked down. For a few moments, all was silent except for the ever present humming. There was an almost inaudible sigh.

"YOU TALK TOO MUCH."

Hapstablook gasped as Papyrus looked up. The ghost flew quickly over to Papyrus as if to hug him, but instead passed right through him. Hapstablook frowned.

"Oh. Right."

"What the hell was all that about?" Undyne demanded. Papyrus frowned.

"I'm not sure. But I think-"

A giggle interrupted them. They all turned to Frisk as she continued to giggle. The sound sounded… wrong. She grew louder and louder until she had devolved into hysterical laughter. She slid off the boulder and turned to face them. Papyrus' blood turned cold as he was met with one, blazing red eye. She wasn't looking at them though. She was looking at someone behind them. They all turned. A skeleton monster stood so he was barely inside the clearing. Papyrus' blood boiled in rage at the sight of him. Frisk suddenly stopped laughing, but a crazed smile remained on her face.

" U!"


	18. Chapter 18

p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I'm sorry to disappoint but I will be dropping this... because it is going to be rewritten! I went through and reread it and although I still like the original concept, I feel as though my execution was terrible and omg sooo many typos D: I made a lot of sudden changes to my story as well so certain elements were added as I was writing that were so random they made me cringe as I was reading it. Especially after I posted chapter 17./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Each part will be names after a song that I felt fit instead of the one word names I put here. I will be posting the prologue today, which will just contain the lyrics to the song I picked for the title and will post the first chapter tomorrow. After that, I intend to update weekly. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone too much! But I think it's already flowing better and the chapters are a bit longer than in the original. It's already turning out to be even darker than the original too, if that is even possible./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The first part will be "Mein Herz Brennt."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anyways, I hope you'll check it out! I know I'm enjoying writing it!/p 


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